Towards a Jazz Pedagogy: Lessons from Legends and Educators!

This two-hour virtual workshop explores the foundational tenets of jazz pedagogy as both a conceptual and practical framework for teaching. Drawing from my research in “Towards a Jazz Pedagogy: Learning with and from Jazz Greats and Great Educators,” we’ll investigate how jazz (its historical and cultural legacy, structure, improvisation, and relationality) can be mobilized to inform dynamic, liberatory educational practice.

Through an interdisciplinary lens that bridges Black studies, music, and critical pedagogy, this session examines what educators might learn from the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Betty Carter, as both musicians and expert teachers. Participants will engage with activities that illuminate how jazz insists on listening, freedom, and collaboration, qualities often overlooked in contemporary educational spaces.

The session will offer a blend of lecture, short media clips, and reflective prompts to help attendees consider how jazz can reshape our pedagogical methods, classroom culture, and relationships with learners. We will explore key questions like: How can improvisation serve as a model for culturally responsive teaching? What does it mean to practice improv within a curriculum? And what can the jam session teach us about assessment?

This workshop is ideal for educators, voice practitioners, and creative facilitators who are interested in centering Black cultural knowledge, honoring artistic practices as intellectual traditions, and expanding the possibilities of teaching and learning.

🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available